Pittsburgh Pirates vs Chicago Cubs — Apr 12, 2026 | AI Prediction & Stats

Jameson Taillon carries the Cubs for six efficient innings, mixing his four-seam/slider combo to keep the ball on the ground against the Pirates’ left-handed power. A windy, cool afternoon at Wrigley suppresses deep fly balls, which neutralizes Oneil Cruz and Bryan Reynolds early. Bubba Chandler’s electric stuff flashes, but his chronic command lapses resurface in the fourth: a walk to Nico Hoerner, a bloop single by Ian Happ, and Seiya Suzuki’s line-drive double into the right-field corner cash in two runs. Pittsburgh answers with small ball in the third—Nick Gonzales legs out an infield hit, steals second, and scores on Reynolds’ opposite-field single—and ties it in the fifth when Ryan O’Hearn turns on a Taillon cutter for a run-scoring double. Taillon exits with a 3-2 lead after five; the extra run comes courtesy of Hoerner’s RBI flare in the fifth. The bullpens decide it. Hoby Milner and Daniel Palencia bridge the sixth, but Jacob Webb’s seventh-inning sinker leaks over the plate to Cruz, who hammers a game-tying double off the ivy. In the bottom half, Chandler’s replacement, Carmen Mlodzinski, falls behind Suzuki 3-1 and pays for it: a sharp single followed by Michael Conforto’s sacrifice fly restores Chicago’s edge. Hunter Harvey and Caleb Thielbar redeem Friday’s miscues with clean eighth and ninth frames, Thielbar freezing O’Hearn on a back-door slider to seal a 4-3 Cubs victory. Chicago snaps the mini-skid, while Pittsburgh’s late push falls just short despite another strong bullpen cameo from Gregory Soto.